ALA Question

[CrystalChick]

I did a search but Im not sure is there a difference between ALA's or is all ALA the same?
And is it Toxic in any way?

Thanks CC

 

[muskles]

:: bump ::

i'd like to know about differences in ALA, too. i was on a site the other day that had a big long article about why their brand of ALA was better than others. (i think it was anabolic fitness)

 

[Sassy69]

Do a search on r-ala and ulter as the author - you will find some good threads that way. ALA isn't toxic - its a strong antiox. Some people noticed heartburn (I think) when taking large amounts -- I'm talking people who are taking 3-5 g / day.

 

[PowerPrincess]

What does ALA do exactly???

 

[macrophage69alpha]

What does ALA do exactly???

generally-ala

"refreshes" other anti-oxidents
acts as an anti-oxident
acts in an insulin like fashion
acts as an insulin co-factor
racemic ala may increase plasma insulin (though at higher doses what it does in not clear)

r-ala
reduces plasma insulin
vastly superior DHLA reduction in many tissues(in retina in particular)

 

[Sassy69]

The one thing I dont' really understand is how it keeps you in ketosis even after you've eaten more carbs than you would otherwise eat to stay in ketosis? It seems sorta like a carb blocker of sorts??

 

[PowerPrincess]

generally-ala

"refreshes" other anti-oxidents
acts as an anti-oxident
acts in an insulin like fashion
acts as an insulin co-factor
racemic ala may increase plasma insulin (though at higher doses what it does in not clear)

r-ala
reduces plasma insulin
vastly superior DHLA reduction in many tissues(in retina in particular)

acts in an insulin like fashion - what exactly will it do with weight loss. My bf said to take it prior to eating carbs, but why? And how many grams should you take of it???

 

[CrystalChick]

Yes because I started usuing it 200mg for 3 of my 6 meals.
Im not sure how long it's takes to see results and what type of diet this will be more effective with if any?

 

[The Shadow]

The one thing I dont' really understand is how it keeps you in ketosis even after you've eaten more carbs than you would otherwise eat to stay in ketosis? It seems sorta like a carb blocker of sorts??

Think insulin like results - packs more carbs into the muscles as glycogen...

 

[PowerPrincess]

Think insulin like results - packs more carbs into the muscles as glycogen...

so is that something i want if i still have body fat ???? I'm confused

 

[Daisy_Girl]

Good Qs - these are things I have been trying to find out through research, but haven't yet. Do you know how many hits you get searching for ALA? Who's got that kind of time?

I started taking ALA, mostly as a liver protector, but am very interested in it's "other" functions.

So it puts the carb consumed into the muscle (for energy) instead of being stored as fat, correct? So it doesn't necessarily 'block' carbs, they are just better utilized?

Should I take it after a higher carb meal then?

Will it help at all in shedding a little body fat (or possibly limit any additional body fat from being gained)?

 

[lil k]

just as a note, i have noticed a big difference since switching from the mixed ala to the r-ala....

i really like it, i can take much less, stay in keto and wow, i get killer pumps.....

i feel like i can actually feel the dextrose go into my muscles post workout...

i take 300 mg, post workout and 100mg with all my meals...if i happen to be cheating, i take more, but that doesnt happen very often, and NO heartburn with the r-ala, just hypo symptoms..hehe

 

[CrystalChick]

Where do you get r-ala who manufactures it?

 

[macrophage69alpha]

www.yohimburn.com

or

www.anabolicfitness.net

 

[SteelWeaver]

ALA, or Alpha Lipoic Acid, as opposed to ALA, or Alpha Linoleic Acid, which is an EFA, besides being a good antioxidant, acts as a nutrient partitioner. As far as I understand it, that means that when you ingest carbohydrates, a greater percentage of the glycogen is shuttled to the muscle cells than would normally be sent there without the use of ALA. That means that LESS is being sent to fat cells (in a hypocaloric state).

I don't think ALA is used specifically as a fat-loss agent, but obviously it has properties which aid in fat loss. Some people over in the diet board have been using it in large amounts (2-3g) to stay in ketosis whilst still eating 200g or so of carbs a day (!) But there was some discussion about whether or not this was a good idea. Seems an expensive way to eat carbs.

As for getting a lot of hits for ALA - yes, the topic has been dealt with extensively and in detail all over the boards. To narrow your search down, search for ALA under these people's user names:

Fonz ( I think)
cockdezl
MS
macrophage69alpha
ulter
cornholio

There are others, but I can't think of them right now.

Cornholio put up a great thread about ALA a while ago on the women's board, and there's been a long-running thread on the diet board "is ALA all it's cracked up to be" which should answer
any remaining questions you have about the topic.

Good luck.

 

[lil k]

r-ALA is the pure form of ALA found in nature. ALL other ALA products are a racemic mixture of the natural R and the synthetic S enantiomer. The S has little or no beneficial effects and is often detrimental to the activity of the R. In this racemic mixture half of the ALA is relatively useless and in many respects working against the other half. We have removed the unnatural S enantiomer and bring you the pure R enantiomer. Which is the one that has been shown to improve glucose uptake, insulin sensitivity, mitochondrial activity, and free radical elimination.



http://www.yohimburn.com/ALA/index_1.htm

click that link for some great information!